Depression Drugs Safe, Beneficial, Studies Say

[Thom Little]

Antidepressants, such as Prozac and similar drugs, help many patients overcome their often disabling psychiatric disease and do not increase the risk for suicide, according to two large studies being published today that counter recent concerns about the popular medications.

The findings from two independent, federally funded studies -- the first of their kind -- spurred some psychiatrists to call for the Food and Drug Administration to reevaluate its warnings about the drugs, which have been blamed for a decline in their use.

"The take-home message from these studies is that we have treatment that is effective and that the risk from depression is far greater than the risk of treatment," said Darrel A. Regier, director of research for the American Psychiatric Association, a group that has been critical of the warnings. "These studies are very important."

Some other medical professionals, however, questioned the results, saying they failed, for example, to show that the drugs were more effective or safer than a placebo.

"The big bulk of the response to antidepressants is the placebo response," said Irving Kirsch, a psychologist at the University of Plymouth in England. "I don't think these studies are very informative."




http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/31/AR2005123101119.html

[unblock]

1. they're great as long as you don't care about your sex life :))

ok, your mileage may vary but this is a know side effect....
and an oddly depressing one at that....

[Ladyhawk]

2. Hmmmm...maybe it explains why I have no sex drive?

I've been on antidepressants for almost twenty years. Maybe it's a partial explanation for why I just don't care???

[unblock]

4. lower libido is definitely one of the side effects

just about anything else that can go wrong, for men at least, it can cause as well: difficulty getting an erection, difficulty maintaining an erection, difficulty reaching orgasm, not being able to get an orgasm at all, etc.

no fun.

of course, doctors can't resist joking when you complain about difficulty reaching orgasm, saying 'heh heh, at least that's a GOOD side effect for your wife' but trust me, it's no fun for anyone.

[dapper]

25. Medication...

I started having panic attacks and was placed on some medication. I felt awesome, felt better than I had all my life.... except I started to wonder about my wife... What the heck was I on when I got married :-)

Dave

[Deja Q]

7. Indeed; since most problems originate from lack of "gettin' some"...

OTOH, some of us don't have one and not by choice.

[stepnw1f]

9. You Said It

All else is going swell though!

[depakid]

3. Don't EVEN trust the Post on this issue

As far as science reporting goes, they have less than zero credibility- and this story is no exception.

There is an activation effect- and there's more. Not saying AD's aren't efficacious- and I could go into detail, but it's really not worth it for a Post article.

You might as well read the National Enquirer.

[kahleefornia]

5. Are you talking about Prozac Backlash?

I just read this book. I had a lot of problems with it, but so far no one to discuss them with.

[Ladyhawk]

15. I really didn't know what else to do so I just take the stuff.

:shrug:

Lately I've been getting some relief with an electrical device: the Alpha-Stim SCS. My recent success at keeping my diabetes under control probably helped, too.

The last couple of days have been NAS-TEE, however. It's probably been a combination of the weather and my inability to keep up with a regular schedule due to a massive hard drive failure. Sometimes I want to strangle HD manufacturers.

[depakid]

17. You just have to be careful

When you start and when you taper off.

Interestingly enough, versions of this glowing report have appreared in other papers as well.

The lead researcher's name is John Rush of the the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. This is the same guy who developed TMAP (the Texas Algorithm).

TMAP is a scam bought and paid for by the pharmaceutical industry to push newer, more expensive, antipsychotics and antidepressants onto patients- and particularly those who find themselves in inpatient settings- or who are for some reason being treated in institutions.

It has resulted some of the grossest abuses in modern psychiatry. In short, it's a travesty.

[Ladyhawk]

21. Inpatient care in and of itself is a nightmare.

It's more like a jail.

[jkappy]

8. so true n/t

[kineneb]

6. ok, folks, they work for me

Otherwise, I would probably be dead, from suicide. There is no placebo effect with me. If I forget to take my medicine, by midday, I start to notice that I am feeling odd. Yes, there is the effect on sex life, but being severely depressed has an effect, too. I have gone through lots of talk therapy, and only with the medication am I able to function in the "real" world, not the hell of my mind.

My maternal ancestors have a record of mental illness: great-grandmother killed herself by drinking poision at age 27, leaving my great-grandfather with two daughters, ages 2 and 4. The obit I found mentioned classic symptoms of clinical depression. Grandma spent the last 10 years of her life battling depression. And Mom, who refuses to deal with this history, is a workaholic. I was diagnosed in my teens, but I know that I had several bouts of clinical depression as a child.

I want a life without continual saddness and pain, caused by the chemicals in my brain. The world is difficult enough without being constantly depressed.

[stepnw1f]

11. Glad to See It Helped Ya, kineneb

Same here.

[Misskittycat]

13. Same here, also. Totally saved my life. n/t

[ckramer]

10. Everything keeps the cash flow into our corporations is GOOD!

LOL!

Yep, keep feeding yourself and your kids with these pills.

[stepnw1f]

12. That Wasn't Funny

I as well as others here would not be alive today if it weren't for anti-depressents. You think that's funny?

[ckramer]

14. I'm sorry

Wish you and your family a very happy new year!

[stepnw1f]

16. thanks

Same back to you.

[Rich Hunt]

19. gosh...

I'm sorry about the way some people talk over your head.

I use a sleep medication that is really expensive. I don't like paying all that money either,
but that doesn't mean I'm a dupe for big pharma.

It just seems that people can NEVER have a nuanced discussion of this issue - it's so...
polarized.

[Nikia]

18. Why don't they do medical tests for depression?

I have read papers suggesting that there is neurological chemical testing technology that is sometimes used in reasearch. My mother is going into clinical psychology and is under the impression that they can do PET scans that will tell which chemicals are out of balance and which parts of the brain are being affected. Why shouldn't all patients be tested before being placed on medication that has a possibility of bad side effects for some and that don't work if you don't really have a particuliar chemical problem? It seems to me that would add credibility for mental illness=brain chemical illness. It would help doctors prescribe medication that will be more likely to work and not have side effects caused by not having the particuliar chemical imbalance.

[Ellen Forradalom]

20. They're working on it

but we're talking about some really complex phenomena here.

There's an article in MIT Technology Review this month which discusses the hope of using brain imaging to diagnose, or supplement current diagnostic techniques, for bipolar disorder. Imaging shows there's definitely something going on in the heads of bipolar patients; but what that it, and what the chain of causation is, remain mysteries.

We are not yet at the point, however, where we can administer any tests that indicate which drug may be best to start with. Treatment is still "Here, try this. No good? Then try this." Maddening, but that's where we are.

[depakid]

23. There's some great imagery on

Dr. Jim Phelps' site PsychEducation:

It's in the section under the heading:

Depression is Not a Moral Weakness. It Has a Biologic Basis. Here are the Pictures to Prove It.

http://www.psycheducation.org/mechanism/MechanismIntro.htm

He also comments on anti-depressant controversies for treating bipolar disorder(s). The reading is mostly for primary care physicians and those with science backgrounds, but it's good stuff, for anyone who's interested:

http://www.psycheducation.org/bipolar/controversy.htm

[loyalsister]

24. Physical evidence doesn't guarantee successful treatment

For example, a person who has a measurable brain disorder like Epilepsy may have to experiment with several different medications until they find the one that works best.

[LeftHander]

22. Independant study....yeah right....

After so many years of Corporatist GW Bush rule....the fed is in the pocket of big pharma.

[thefool_wa]

26. "I need something stronger..."

Take two red bills, then a blue one. Help is on the way

(watched THX-1138 last night)